


My Sister's Keeper

by Ciryc_Tal



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-21 03:35:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11349033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ciryc_Tal/pseuds/Ciryc_Tal
Summary: Sabine and Ketsu have one last chance to prove themselves good enough to work for the Black Sun. But will Sabine's compassion get in the way of Ketsu's ambition?Just as the job seems to be going smoothly, a new contender enters the fray...





	My Sister's Keeper

Sabine pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, trying to defend herself from the hammering rain. Right now, she would’ve liked nothing more than to curl up by a fireplace with a hot drink in a dry room, but she and Ketsu were on the clock. Sabine looked over at her cloaked partner, who surveyed the miserable slum from their high perch on a rooftop through a pair of macrobinoculars. She had been unusually quiet for most of this job. And Sabine had a feeling why.

“Take a look,” Ketsu said flatly, raising her voice slightly so she could be heard over the rain. She offered the macrobinoculars to Sabine without turning to face her. It was the first thing Ketsu had said in what felt like hours, even though they had only been kneeling together on this rooftop for several minutes. Sabine took the macrobinoculars in hand. She wiped some of the moisture off the lenses, then held them up to her eyes, peering in the direction Ketsu had been looking at.

Down below them, bordered by intersecting stone streets lined with flickering neon signs, street vendors and the occasional shady-looking pedestrian, was an abandoned twelve-story office building. It was an old structure for sure, with creaky looking windows and doors, and the foundation looked like it might collapse in just a short time. According to their intel, it had been uninhabited for a while, but the town didn’t have the budget to hire a demolition crew, nor were there any plans for building anything new on the property. As a result, it had become largely ignored by the general public, which made it perfect as a temporary base of operations for a gang.

After surveying the building itself, Sabine looked down at the entrance. A man in a dark jacket emerged from the front door, then leaned against it with his arms folded over his broad chest, his eyes looking back and forth as if keeping watch for anyone threatening. She could see him occasionally drum his fingers against something tucked inside his jacket, which she could only assume was a blaster.

“Well, he certainly could learn a few things about being inconspicuous,” Sabine observed as she zoomed in on the thug.

“You could too,” Ketsu scoffed. “If you had, then maybe that mark on Ord Mantell wouldn’t have gotten away.”

Sabine rolled her eyes from behind the macrobinoculars. More and more, Ketsu had been bringing up past jobs that had gone south for one reason or another. And no matter how each one had turned out, Ketsu could seemed to always find a reason to blame Sabine.

Maybe if you had given me the signal like you were supposed to…” Sabine thought bitterly. But she didn’t want to get into an argument right now. “Wait, I see someone coming.”

“Is it him?” Ketsu asked eagerly.

The man keeping watch at the entrance to the building suddenly perked up when the profile of a Dug approached the man. He wore ragged clothing and had several piercings on his leathery brown skin. There was also a tattoo of a krayt dragon on his neck. The Dug looked around nervously as he did, but stopped short when the jacketed man drew his blaster on the Dug. The Dug immediately raised its arms - or feet? Sabine could never be sure with Dugs. The Dug seemed to be explaining something to the man, who after listening, holstered his weapon, then stepped aside, allowing the Dug to scurry inside the building.

“That’s gotta be him,” Sabine concluded, as she set down the macrobinoculars, looking to her partner. The Dug matched the description of their target, Doomar Juwaga. He used to be an informant for the Black Sun crime syndicate, but had apparently decided to leave to go work for a rival gang. And the Black Sun did not like having loose ends running around, especially if they had mouths like Juwaga’s.

“Which means Takara should be here within the hour,” Ketsu said over the rain. Takara was allegedly the name of the criminal from the rival syndicate who had agreed to meet Juwaga to see if the information he had was worthwhile. “We need to get moving.” Ketsu stood up from her kneeling position. As she did, she picked up a long rifle and pulled the strap over her shoulder. It was a specially modified rifle that fired darts, the closest thing they had to a silenced weapon in their arsenal. She picked up her helmet with her other hand.

“Wait,” Sabine said, standing up and walking over to Ketsu. “We don’t know how many of them are inside yet. And we don’t know where in the building the meeting is going to take place!”

“Sabine, we don’t have time for that!” Ketsu shot back. “Remember when that Rodian on Coruscant got away because you wanted to hang back and count heads?” She walked away from the edge of the roof, shrugging her shoulder to adjust the rifle she carried.

“If we had gone in there after him, we would’ve been killed!” Sabine protested, walking after Ketsu. Ketsu didn’t turn around, and increased her pace. Sabine furrowed her brow in annoyance. She loved Ketsu like a sister, but lately she was getting harder and harder to work with. Sabine continued. “There’s no way we could’ve lasted against those odds. So you’re welcome for saving your life!” Sabine caught up to Ketsu, grabbing her by the shoulder. “Ketsu, if you would just listen to me for a second-”

“No, you listen!” Ketsu suddenly burst out. She turned around sharply, dropping her helmet and grabbing Sabine by the shoulder, pinning her against the side of a large storage container, her arm pressed across Sabine’s chest. Sabine tried to break free, but in terms of physical strength, Ketsu had the edge. “You don’t get it, do you, little sister? This is our last chance!” Ketsu’s eyes were like a fire in the pouring rain, filled with anger and frustration as she glared at Sabine. “The Black Sun isn’t too happy that we didn’t deliver on the last few jobs they hired us for, and if we fail this one, that contract they promised us is going to someone else! Someone who actually has the guts to go in without hesitating! And if you mess up this job for me, so help me, Sabine…”

Sabine glared back at her partner. Why did she have to be like this? Ketsu and Sabine used to be much closer. They used to work in harmony, listening to each other’s ideas and relying on each other to watch the other’s back. Even after they failed a job, they were still sisters who cared about each other. But lately, ever since the Black Sun decided to give them a set of trial jobs to see if they were good enough to work for the syndicate exclusively, Ketsu could seem to think of nothing but how much money they would be raking in. Even when they got jobs that forced Sabine to make compromises on her principles. In the past, most of the targets they went after were lowlifes whom Sabine felt deserved some amount of retribution. But the Black Sun seemed to have less scrutiny when it came to deciding who they wanted dead or alive.

Ketsu loosened her hold on Sabine. Sabine was sore from her chest armor plates pushing against her, but she shrugged it off. “Fine, we’ll do it your way.” 

Ketsu smirked, picking up her helmet and placing it over her head. “That’s better. Now, you get down there and go in from the front entrance. That’s the only way in or out, so you don’t have to worry about any reinforcements coming in. I’ll be covering you from here with this baby.” She motioned at the rifle slung over her shoulder.

“Oh, so you get to stay out here and play sniper, while I go into the rickety building with the unconfirmed number of hostiles?” Sabine asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Ketsu groaned. “Between the two of us, who’s the better shot, huh?”

Sabine grimaced. She was a good shot, better than most. But still, when it came to long-range marksmanship, she had to admit that Ketsu was better. Besides, her helmet’s targeting function was broken, and they didn’t have the money they needed to buy the necessary replacement part. Ketsu had assured her that if they got hired permanently by the Black Sun, they would never have to worry about money again.

“Besides,” Ketsu added. “You’re smaller, they’ll have a harder time spotting you in there. Sneaking is something you’re good at, right?”

And a whole lot more, Sabine thought indignantly. But she was still in no mood for an argument with Ketsu.

“I’m going to scout around the building and see if I can find out which level Juwaga is on. I’ll be in touch. And move quickly!” And with that, Ketsu turned and ran to the edge of the rooftop, leaping on the next and disappearing into the darkness.

Sabine sighed heavily as she placed her Mandalorian helmet on her head and walked to the edge of the roof. She looked around and found a maintenance ladder. Gripping both sides with her damp gloves, she slid easily down the ladder to an alley on the ground level. When she got low enough, she jumped off the ladder, gracefully landing on the pavement, her boots splashing lightly against the wet surface. She ran over to the edge of the alley, crouching behind a trash receptacle, peering over the top at the entrance to the target building’s entrance. The jacketed man from before was still keeping watch, and she didn’t see anyone else. Sabine removed her helmet, holding it to her side, and used her free hand to cinch up her cloak to hide her armor. OK, it’s show time.

Sabine ran out to the man in the jacket, screaming as sympathetically as she could. “Help! Help me!, please!”

The man in the jacket reached a hand for his blaster, but didn’t draw. Sabine rushed up to him, kneeling down and panting hard. She looked up at the man, putting on the best pleading face she could. “Please, help me! I’m being chased by bad men! If you could let me inside, I’ll do anything!”

The man leered vilely as he moved his hand from his blaster. “Oh, I could think of some things you could do for us, little girl.”

Smiling through yellow teeth, the man started to reach out to Sabine to grab her shoulders when Sabine suddenly swung her helmet upward directly into the man’s jaw. The force of the blow knocked the man backwards, and Sabine was sure that she saw some of his yellowed teeth fly out of his mouth. The man fell to the ground, unconscious. Sabine quickly dragged the unconscious body behind a nearby dumpster, and laid her cloak over him. Checking her twin blasters and placing her helmet back on her head, Sabine quietly slipped into the building.

The ground level of the office building was quiet and dilapidated. Random pieces of furniture were scattered about, and the lighting was extremely dim. Fortunately, there were no guards to be seen anywhere. Sabine put a finger to her helmet, activating the built-in comm. “Alright, Ketsu. I’m in.”

“Good,” Ketsu acknowledged. “You want a pat on the back or something?”

Sabine sighed. Partners are supposed to communicate. But she kept the thought to herself. She quickly scanned the room for the closest access point to the upper levels. At the far end of the room, she spotted two lifts. The doors were shut on one, but the other’s doors were wide open. Holstering her blasters, Sabine ran over to the lift to inspect it. The doors opened up directly to the main shaft; the car was at the bottom several floors down. The cable, however, seemed to be intact. She lightly tugged on it, verifying that it was still secure. “I’m heading up,” Sabine spoke into her comm. “How’s it look from your end?”

“I’ve spotted movement on the fifth floor, including Juwaga. Looks like the rest of the building is clear,” Ketsu’s voice replied.

“Fifth floor. Got it,” Sabine confirmed. “I’m heading up through a lift shaft on the east side.”

“They won’t see it coming! I’m going to reposition and give you cover,” Ketsu said slyly. Her enthusiastic tone encouraged Sabine a little, and she used that extra boost of confidence to hoist herself up onto the cable. Shifting her weight, she planted her feet on the wall of the shaft and walked upward as she climbed.

After a few minutes, she could start to hear voices above her. She looked up behind her and saw a maintenance sign indicating that she was now just below the fifth floor.

“Alright Yez, quit yer smiling and show ‘em already.”

“Just watch, he’s got nuthin’.”

“You wanna bet on that?”

“I am. That’s the whole point of the game, moron!”

“Read ‘em and weep!”

“Aw, karabast! An Idiot’s Array?”

“Heeheehee! And now the pot’s mine!”

“I knew he wasn’t bluffing. That’s why I’m not broke and the rest of you are.”

“You cheated, Yez! You must’ve!”

“Hey, sit down! We’re here to do a job. You can kill each other after it’s done.”

Even if she couldn’t overhear the hostile conversation, Sabine could tell from the clattering of credits and shuffling of cards that they were playing Sabacc. After learning the game from Ketsu, Sabine was able to figure out a perfect card counting system that ensured favorable odds, even when playing against cheaters. Even so, gambling with cards wasn’t really her style. She was more interested in gambling with live ammunition. As a bounty hunter, that’s essentially what every job was.

Sabine slowed her climb as she moved closer to the edge of the lift opening on the floor. She found some secure hand grips just under the ledge, and pressed herself against the wall. She tapped her helmet. “I’m in position.”

“Wait for my signal,” Ketsu ordered, without any follow-up questions.

“Ah, whatever. I gotta take a piss,” one of the thugs said. Sabine could hear the squeaking of a chair moving over the floor.

“Hey, orders are orders. Everybody stays until Takara gets here.”

“I gotta go!”

“Just go in the elevator. Not like anyone’s gonna care!”

“Ugh, fine.”

Sabine cringed. She could hear approaching footsteps above her. She desperately wanted to call Ketsu again, but she couldn’t risk being heard now. 

Ketsu…

What followed next were three sounds. The first was the sound of a zipper being undone. The second was a faint shattering of glass. The third was the impact of a dart on flesh.

The thug above her gulped, and he let out a struggling breath just before falling forward and tumbling past Sabine down into the shaft. 

“Go!” Ketsu’s voice sounded in Sabine’s helmet.

Well, obviously! Sabine thought irritatedly. She released her grip on the wall and quickly grabbed the ledge. She then swung her feet back and above her head, flipping herself upward and landing on the ledge of the elevator. Before her, five armed thugs of various species were seated around a table covered in money, cards and half-empty liquor bottles. 

The target was nowhere to be seen.

“Shoot her!” one of the thugs yelled. He kicked over the table, sending its contents scattering on the floor. The rest of the thugs took positions and drew their blasters, launching a barrage of laser fire right at Sabine.

Sabine was outnumbered, but she was fast. Rolling to the side, she whirled around and leapt behind a bar counter. The level they were on appeared to be some kind of cantina. Above her head, dozens of empty bottles exploded in shards. After a few seconds of the volley, Sabine stood up and fired several rounds back, striking one of the gang members squarely in the chest while the others spread out.  
Sabine ducked down behind the counter as another wave of blaster fire came in. 

“Ketsu!” Sabine yelled into her comm. “Where’s Juwaga? I don’t see him!”

“He’s on that floor! Just kill those guys and grab him!”

“Easier said than done!” Sabine retorted as glass continued to rain down on her. She looked up. Judging from the angles and spacing of the blaster shots, the thugs had regrouped again. Taking them all out as a group was going to be tricky.

Sabine then spotted a bottle of what she thought was Renan Irongut. She grabbed the bottle, took a sip, then spat it back out. Yep, definitely Irongut. Taking a gamble, Sabine hurled the bottle overhead in the direction of the blaster fire, then stood up just in time to line up a shot at the bottle in midair. She squeezed the trigger, and her target exploded in a miniature fireball. The bright flash of light disoriented her enemies, and Sabine switched to the offensive.

She ran toward her enemies, firing rapidly. Two of them went down at the same time, but the last two charged forward. One of them, a muscle-bound Gran charged at Sabine with the butt of his blaster rifle. Sabine side-stepped the large alien and brought the butt of her own hand blaster right onto the back of the Gran’s neck with a hard crack. But in doing so, she took her eyes of her last opponent, an enormous green-scaled Trandoshan who swatted at Sabine’s right hand, sending her blaster flying out of her hand. He then grabbed Sabine by the neck and hoisted her up to his eye level while his other free hand wrested away Sabine’s remaining blaster. His yellow reptilian eyes glared wickedly, and he cackled at her as he tightened his grip on her neck. Sabine’s legs kicked wildly at the open air underneath her, but she could do nothing. The Trandoshan wrapped his other hand around her neck, doubling the already excruciating pressure. Sabine’s vision started to fade as it became more and more difficult to breath.

Just then, she heard a thwip from out of nowhere. The Trandoshan released one of his hands and pulled something from his neck. Even with her blurred vision, Sabine could tell it was one of Ketsu’s darts. The Trandoshan groaned, releasing his other hand and dropping Sabine onto the floor. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed with a loud thud.

Coughing hard, Sabine rubbed her neck as she regained her breath. She put a hand to her helmet comm. “Couldn’t have done that a little sooner?”

“Hey, let’s see how well you do in this damned rain,” Ketsu spat back. “Now hurry up, Takara and his men just showed up downstairs! You might have to get ready for another firefight soon.”

“Alright, alright,” Sabine muttered. I’m fine, by the way. Thanks for asking.

Sabine picked up her fallen blasters. Looking around the room, she spotted a closed door. Apparently, Juwaga had a reputation for being a loudmouth in more ways than one, so they probably threw him in there while they waited for their boss to show up.

Here we go, Sabine thought to herself. She took a deep breath and prepared herself. She held a blaster in her right hand while the other punched the switch on the door. She stepped inside and thrust her blaster forward. “Doomar Juwaga, you’re coming with me!”

She had stepped into a small office, with a desk and chair in the corner and a few small stools. Across from her was an open window, through which the small Dug was desperately trying to crawl through. But as soon as he heard Sabine’s voice, he dropped to the floor and prostrated himself. “Please! Please don’t kill me! I’m not really with them! I’m only here because Takara promised he would protect me and my family!”

Sabine lowered her blaster. Family? “What are you talking about?”

“When I asked the Black Sun if I could have just a little bit more than my usual fee, they beat my wife and child! I said I was sorry and that it would never happen again, but what they did to them was just too much. That’s when I decided it was time to leave the Black Sun for good.” 

Juwaga was now sobbing. Sabine couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt about this job. Just like she had on so many others. But Ketsu’s words came back into her head.

“This is our last chance!”

Choking on his words, the Dug continued. “But I knew I couldn’t just walk away. So I needed to go to someone who would be able to protect me from them! And Takara was the only answer I had! Please! He promised that once I tell him what I know about the Black Sun, he would relocate my family so the Black Sun would never find me again! I can’t go back to them! I’ll never go back to those monsters!”

Sabine sighed. Every time the Dug said the word ‘family’ she cringed a little. Painful memories of parting with her own family on Mandalore surfaced. Of the time they decided to remain loyal to the Empire, despite the atrocities that they had committed against her people.

Atrocities that Sabine had personally engineered.

“Please,” Juwaga pleaded. “Please, I just want to protect them.”

Ketsu’s voice came through on Sabine’s comm. “Sabine! Sabine, do you have him!” Do you have Juwaga?”

Sabine hesitated. “I…”

“Answer me, Sabine! Do. You. Have. Him?”

Sabine gritted her teeth. “Ketsu, I don’t think…”

“What, Sabine? You don’t think what? You don’t think you have the guts to do what we need to do to survive? You don’t think that there’s really no one else in this galaxy that’s going to help us? Well, let me tell you something, sister. If you mess this up for me, then I can promise you that the last person in this galaxy who gives a damn about you is going to walk away forever!”

Sabine could feel a tear lightly streaking down her cheek. She removed her helmet and set it down beside her, then quickly wiped the tear away. 

Ketsu was right. She was all that Sabine had now. She couldn’t rely on anyone else. And she had to do everything she could to keep them together.

Juwaga looked up at Sabine’s face. She was certain that her own expression matched the misery of his.

“I’m sorry, Juwaga. But I have to-”

Sabine was cut short by the sound of a metallic clinking sound. Beside Juwaga, a silver sphere with flashing green lights had dropped in from the open window. Sabine recognized it immediately. A concussion grenade.

But before she could react, the sphere detonated in a flash of blinding light. The sudden burst blinded Sabine, and she stumbled backward against the door. There was a ringing in her ears, and her head felt like it was on fire. After a few seconds, the effects of the grenade subsided, and her vision slowly came back.

The open window before her had been shattered open, and a figure stood in front of it with the squirming Juwaga slung over its shoulders. The figure was tall, probably male. Sabine was shocked when she recognized the familiar profile. Green battle armor, marred with dents and scorch marks. A Z-6 jetpack. A helmet with a T-shaped visor. 

Her attacker was a Mandalorian.

Once the Mandalorian had secured his prize over his shoulders, he punched Juwaga hard in the face, knocking the frightened Dug unconscious. He then his gaze toward Sabine and tapped lightly on the side of his helmet.

“Never take this off on the job,” he said in a cold voice. It wasn’t a mocking tone, but it was humiliating to hear nonetheless. The Mandalorian then turned toward the window and leapt outside.

Sabine shook her head, trying to clear her muddled senses, but wasted no time. She grabbed her blasters, slammed her helmet on her head, and ran to the window. 

Below her, the Mandalorian had landed on a rooftop two stories below. Judging from the distance and how he had exited the window, he had used his jetpack to float down to it. Sabine didn’t have a jetpack of her own, but she wasn’t about to let him get away. She backed away from the window to get a running start, then dashed forward, diving headfirst and launching herself out into the pouring rain. After falling several meters, she rolled forward onto the rooftop and continued her pursuit without skipping a beat. The Mandalorian had a good head start on her, but she could still see him.

“Sabine! Sabine, what was that sound? What happened?”

“Someone got to Juwaga!” Sabine replied, awaiting Ketsu’s eventual tirade.

“What? Who? One of Takara’s?” 

“I don’t think so. But whoever he is, he’s wearing Mandalorian armor!” Sabine panted.

“At least we know one Mandalorian who doesn’t mess things up!” Ketsu shouted angrily.

“He’s heading south!” Sabine quickly reported, trying to get the conversation back onto a productive route. “If you hurry you might be able to cut him off!” Sabine leapt over a gap between two buildings, splashing as she landed.

“Guess I gotta do everything myself!” Ketsu snapped. The transmission ended.

Sabine quickened her pace. Even though he was carrying a Dug over his shoulders, her enemy was fast. But Sabine was wearing much lighter armor, and the added weight of the jetpack would slow him down too. 

But none of that would matter if he uses it to fly away.

Sabine really didn’t have a way to counteract that. All she could do for now was keep her eyes on him and hope that Ketsu was close.

Just then, Sabine heard the sound of small projectiles impacting against metal. Sabine looked up to her right at one of the taller buildings and saw Ketsu perched on the edge, firing her rifle at the Mandalorian. However, it seemed that her darts weren’t enough to do anything against the Mandalorian’s armor. Seeing that her attack was useless, Ketsu threw the rifle aside and jumped down from the building. Sabine’s helmeted partner joined up with her, and the two ran side by side. They continued chasing the Mandalorian, but didn’t dare fire at him. They couldn’t risk hitting Juwaga, especially now that they were both running and couldn’t get a clear shot.

The Mandalorian leapt over gaps between buildings, sometimes using his jetpack to thrust himself up to higher ones. But Sabine and Ketsu didn’t let him gain any more distance, and they climbed and vaulted quickly with no difficulty. In fact, after a few minutes of running, they were starting to catch up.

But just as they were getting confident, the Mandalorian pointed his gauntleted arm downward and discharged a short stream of fire. Immediately after, an entire barrier of flames spread outward, creating a wall between him and his pursuers. 

Sabine and Ketsu stopped short in front of the wall of fire. Sabine cursed under her breath. The Mandalorian must have laid down some flammable liquid in this exact spot in preparation for his escape. 

Whoever this guy is, he’s good. Really good.

“Come on!” Ketsu yelled. She pointed over to a storage crate several meters to their right. Sabine nodded and the two hurried over. The jumped up onto the crate, which was at least a meter higher than the wall of flame, and the jumped over. They were back in pursuit, but they had lost a lot of ground.

“Why didn’t you grab him sooner, Sabine?” Ketsu huffed as they kept running, their feet splashing against the wet rooftops.

“You really wanna talk about this now?” Sabine asked.

“I wish I never had to talk about this, but it seems like it keeps happening with you!”

“With me?” Sabine asked indignantly. “What about that job on Corellia? You didn’t bring enough charges!”

“Which we wouldn’t have needed if you had made that shot!”

“Would you stop pinning everything on me?” Sabine retorted. “We’re supposed to be partners!”

“And partners are supposed to look out for each other, and nobody else!” Ketsu shouted.

Their argument was suddenly interrupted by the sound of jetpack thrusters ahead of them. The Mandalorian leapt high into the air, carried by his jetpack, and landed onto a rooftop that was at least 7 or 8 meters away.

Sabine and Ketsu didn’t stop. But Sabine was panicking in her head. Can we even make that jump? By now, they were at least five stories above the ground. A fall like that could be fatal.

“He won’t get away!” Ketsu growled. She sprinted forward and leapt, letting out a grunt as she launched herself over the edge and sailed to the other side. Sabine, pushing her doubts and fears aside, did the same. She waited until the last possible moment, then pushed herself forward with one foot as hard as she possibly could.

Ketsu barely made it to the other side. Sabine didn’t.

Sabine’s limbs flew wildly in the air as she felt herself being pulled back down. She watched the ledge rise above her, and she began to feel panic set in. Desperately, she latched onto the edge of the building with one hand, while the rest of her body slammed into the wall, knocking the wind out of her.

Sabine’s heart was racing as she clung for dear life. She didn’t have any strength left in her to pull her other arm up. “Ketsu!” she cried out. “Help me!”

Ketsu’s masked face suddenly appeared above Sabine. Ketsu looked back toward where the Mandalorian had run off, then back at Sabine. It was only a moment, but it felt like Ketsu’s silence lasted for several long minutes. 

Then, Ketsu spoke.

“You’re on your own.”

Ketsu then dashed away, and all Sabine could hear was the sound of her footsteps splashing further and further away.

Ketsu had left her. She had left Sabine to die.

“Ketsu!” Sabine yelled after her. But she knew that her partner, her sister, wasn’t coming back.

Just as Sabine’s heart failed her, her body did the same. Unable to secure her grip on the wet ledge, her hand slipped, and she felt the world rush past her as she plummeted to the city streets below. She felt her back impact painfully with several pipes, awnings and signs before she finally landed hard on the street and blacked out.

***

The sound of the pouring rain was the first thing Sabine heard. Light slowly flooded into Sabine’s eyes as she groggily opened them. She could hear the bustling sounds of people some distance from her. As her eyesight returned, she could see the metal staircases that snaked up along the two buildings she was lying in between, as well as the colored awnings and flickering neon signs. It was at that point she realized that her helmet was no longer on her head. 

I’m alive.

Her body felt limp and numb. She was certain that she had several broken bones, but they didn’t feel painful now. The only real pain she felt was in her heart.

Ketsu was gone. The one person in the galaxy that she had left to trust had abandoned her. Left her to die alone in this miserable city.

First it was the Empire. Then my own family. Now my sister.

Was this her punishment? Was this to be her fate for what she did to her homeworld? She couldn’t deny that the things she had done were beyond forgivable. She had never really believed in fate before, but maybe this was a sign. 

Maybe she was destined to live and die in this galaxy alone for what she had done.

Sabine tried to move, but she winced when the pain of her broken and bruised body forbade her. All she could do was lay there, a crumpled mess of a girl. 

Sabine slowed her breathing, trying to regain her composure. She knew that there was nothing she could do on her own. All she could do was wait and hope that at least a measure of her strength would return.

She was resolved to wait patiently on her own. Because she knew that no one else was coming to help her. And even if there were, she wouldn’t rely on that help. 

Laying there on the street in the cold rain, Sabine Wren swore that for as long as she lived, she would never trust anyone again.

***

The next morning

Ketsu ran a hand through her closely cropped hair as she walked apprehensively up the walkway of the space cruiser where she was supposed to meet her Black Sun contact. She had no idea what she would say in her defense. All she could hope for was for them to understand that now that she was working alone, there would be no more slip-ups. 

But then again, they had told her that this was her last chance. And with the Black Sun, she knew what that meant. It might’ve been in her best interest to flee the system and go into hiding. But she knew that was ultimately futile. The Black Sun had intelligence networks all over the galaxy, and they would pursue her relentlessly until she was either captured or killed. 

Throwing herself on their mercy was the only card she had left to play.

As she walked onboard, she was greeted by two Falleen guards carrying heavy blaster rifles. They nodded and fell in behind her. There was no turning back now.

They walked down a corridor of the ship until they came to the cruiser’s bridge. Waiting for them was a Falleen dressed in elegant purple robes, sitting in a leather chair. He turned to face Ketsu when he heard her come in, and greeted her with a cordial smile.

“Ah, Miss Onyo. I’ve been expecting you. Not alone, however. I had been hoping that Juwaga would be with you.”

Ketsu took a step forward. The two Falleen guards behind her leveled their weapons at her. “I’m sorry. Somebody else got to Juwaga first. But it wasn’t my fault! My partner completely botched the job. But I’m not with her anymore, so I can promise you that there won’t be any more screwups!”

“Quiet!” the Falleen snapped. “It’s a poor bounty hunter that blames their mistakes on others. Really, Miss Onyo. I had high hopes for you. You showed such promise.”

Ketsu’s heart sank. She straightened herself, trying to use her peripheral vision to watch the two guards behind her. But she restrained herself from reaching her blaster pistol at her side. If she was going to make it out of here alive, her timing had to be perfect.

“Due to your inability to complete the last few jobs we’ve given you, I’m afraid it won’t even be worth trying to persuade the syndicate to let you in on a contract with us.”

Ketsu gritted her teeth. She squeezed her fist, preparing herself for a quick draw.

The Falleen then smiled and turned away from her. “However, seeing as Juwaga was delivered to us anyway, I see no reason why we should terminate your life at this point. I suppose if we have any future openings, you could be an acceptable candidate.”

Ketsu suddenly relaxed as her jaw dropped slightly. “Wait, you got Juwaga?”

The Falleen chuckled. “The syndicate was quite adamant about getting him back before he had a chance to reveal our secrets. So we sent just one more hunter after him as a precaution.”

One more hunter…

“Wait, you don’t mean-”

Ketsu was cut off just as a door at the side slid open, and a man walked through. A man dressed in green Mandalorian armor, carrying an EE-3 carbine.

“You!” Ketsu exclaimed. The man who just entered was the same one who had snatched Juwaga away from Sabine and lead them on a chase across the rooftops of the city.

“Ketsu Onyo, this is Boba Fett. He’s proven himself to be quite an asset to the Black Sun. We offered him a chance at the bounty for Juwaga, just to be sure we would get him back. And unlike you and your partner, he was able to deliver.”

“He’s the reason we couldn’t bring you Juwaga ourselves! We were doing just fine until he got in the way!”

“Really? According to Fett, by the time he showed up, Takara and his cronies were already at the building. How did you and your partner plan on getting out of there?”

“Well, we…” Ketsu trailed off. She was going to leave that part to Sabine. And she could’ve provided sniper cover from her position. But she had to admit that Fett’s escape through the window was much more effective.

“Don’t feel badly, Miss Onyo,” the Falleen said condescendingly. “Fett here has had much more experience than you. No shame in losing to him.”

“You could’ve at least told us there would be others!”

The Falleen threw a threatening glance at Ketsu. “The Black Sun decides what people need to know and what they don’t need to know.”

Ketsu fell silent. She glared at the Mandalorian standing beside the Falleen. Fett hadn’t said a word since he entered the room. 

“You’re free to go, Miss Onyo. As for you Mr. Fett, congratulations! I am pleased to welcome you into the Black Sun as a contracted bounty hunter.”

“No thanks.”

The Falleen stopped short, and whirled toward Fett. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’m not interested in any exclusive contracts. I’ll take the reward you promised me though.” He held out a gauntleted hand and waited.

“I told at the beginning that this would be a chance to become an official part of Black Sun! And you’re going to refuse?”

“I never agreed to that part. I just wanted a little pocket change between jobs.”

Ketsu’s eyes widened. Pocket change? The amount that Black Sun had posted for Juwaga was more than she and Sabine had ever earned. And to this guy it was pocket change? Who else has he worked for?

“Pocket change?” the Falleen exclaimed, mirroring Ketsu’s thoughts. “That was an extremely generous sum for this job!” 

“You and I have different definitions of the word ‘generous,’” Fett said calmly. “But I’ll take it nonetheless.”

“I will not have the graciousness of the Black Sun spat on like this! Do you really think you can get away with this?”

“I do,” Fett replied. “Do you think you can?”

“Guards!” the Falleen shouted.

What happened next was a blur. The two Falleen guards behind Ketsu raised their weapons, but before they could fire, two red flashes flew past Ketsu’s head and struck each guard in the face, killing them instantly. By the time she had drawn her blaster, Fett was standing with one hand clutching his still-smoking blaster, and the other tightly gripped the neck of the last remaining Falleen.

Fett turned to the now quivering Falleen. The alien’s eyes were wide with fear. Fett’s cold, visored gaze stared straight back at him. “My payment, if you please.”

The Falleen shakily reached inside his robes and produced a small pouch. Fett released his grip on the Falleen and immediately snatched the pouch out of the Falleen’s hand. The Falleen fell to the ground, coughing and breathing heavily.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Fett said. Satisfied, he turned toward the corridor where Ketus had entered from and walked toward it. Ketsu glared at the Mandalorian, keeping her weapon trained on him as he walked past her. Fett hardly seemed to notice she was even there. It was like he wasn’t worried about her at all.

Before he disappeared around the corner, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “If you’re looking for someone to fill your opening, take her. I’ve got bigger jobs to worry about.”

Ketsu hated the idea of being accepted by default, but she couldn’t deny that it was all that she could have hoped for. She looked over at the Falleen, who shakily got to his feet. He pointed a long, green finger at the Mandalorian.

“Don’t think you’ll get away with this, Fett. The Black Sun doesn’t forget those who cross them.”

“If she’s now the best you have, I won’t worry about it,” Fett replied smugly. He turned away and walked out of the ship, leaving death and fear in his wake.

Ketsu grimaced as she watched Fett walk away. She would’ve liked nothing more than to shoot the Mandalorian in the back. But she knew that would be the stupidest thing she could do right now.

One day, she told herself. We’ll meet again. And when we do, you won’t be so damn smug.

When Fett disappeared from sight, Ketsu let out a sigh and holstered her blaster. She turned to the Falleen, who looked understandably cross. She folded her arms over her chest as the Falleen coughed and brushed himself off.

“So, it looks like you still have an opening,” Ketsu said confidently.

The Falleen glared at her. “I suppose so. Very well, Miss Onyo. Welcome to the Black Sun.”

Ketsu smiled. Finally. After all this time, she was finally going to work exclusively for one of the most powerful syndicates in the galaxy. She would have money, resources, equipment-maybe she could even get a new ship of her own.

And that softie Sabine wouldn’t be around to get in the way of her work. She was finally free to work alone, doing things her way. Just like she wanted.

For the first time in her life, Ketsu felt like everything was perfect.

Wasn’t it?


End file.
